We usually ponder this verse in November and December. But isn’t it also good to ponder it in the middle of the year, too?
It is actually an assurance, promise, and encouragement stated many times in scripture. He is with His people, intimately, assuredly, personally.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23).
As I go forward in life, year by year, waiting, learning, sinning, repenting, I learn more of the person and God Jesus and of His excellencies. Studying the Annunciation, and thinking of His name Immanuel, God with us, I think of God with Adam and Eve in the Garden right from the beginning- covering them in skins. With Hagar in the desert, wrestling with Jacob through the anxious night, with Abraham on Mt Moriah sacrificing Isaac, with Mary on the flight to Egypt, with Peter on the beach restoring him in love, with John on Patmos … He surely is a God with us!
As you face day after day in Him, perhaps it is in fear, or anxiety, or loneliness … No matter how you feel, even if it is facing the days in excitement, or wonder, or joy (because those are times we tend to not feel like we “need” God) – God is with you! He is W-I-T-H U-S, Immanuel!
teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER ABANDON YOU,” (Hebrews 13:5)
He is with us every day, not solely at Christmastime! Since He is with us, who can be against us! We are in the hands of the Mighty Savior, He is with His people, and will not leave or forsake us.
If people would simply stop accepting at face value the proclamations of celebrity pastors and lady ‘Bible’ teachers, that they are Christians, the faith would be stronger.
When a megapastor, such as the types like Mr Furtick, Mr Driscoll, or Mr Stanley, or a lady ‘Bible’ teacher like Beth Moore or Jennie Allen or Joyce Meyer teach something that isn’t in the Bible, or otherwise make an outrageous statement, the thinking goes something like this:
“What?! How could Pastor So-and-So say that? He says s/he’s a Christian, so how can s/he not know that isn’t the truth?! Since s/he says they are a Christian, we have to find out what s/he really meant. It must be a mistake, or s/he said it because s/he must be temporarily under the influence of NyQuil. Of course s/he is a Christian (because Pastor So-and-So says he is) and Christians would know better than to teach that.”
Complex rhetorical pretzel-logic ensues.
You know, most people who say they’re saved, are not saved. Am I pessimistic? Am I “judging the heart”? Am I “judging their motives”? No. Jesus said that many go on the broad way to destruction and few find the way to salvation. (Matthew 7:14). Jesus followed that statement immediately in the next verse, saying
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Matthew 7:15). Further on we read the devastating verses in Matthew 7:21-23 where many are unveiled to not have been a Christian all along. Jesus says ‘Depart from me, yu worker of iniquity, I never knew you.’
In the New Testament ‘false prophets’ are pastors, a word we’re more familiar with today. Or they are teachers.
If someone in real life says to me that they are saved, I don’t dismiss their statement, of course. But I do not accept it at face value, either. I listen to testimony, I watch for fruit, I reserve comment or opinion on their self-proclamation until I see one way or another which way their wind blows. That takes time.
But if someone is a pastor or teacher at the highest levels with a following or influence, and thus a body of work to examine and compare to the Bible (Acts 17:11), and they say something incontrovertibly against a foundational doctrine, (like when Billy Graham says we can go to heaven without knowing Jesus; or the wild abuses against the Spirit of Benny Hinn or Joyce Meyer, or the greed with which a Joel Osteen bows to Mammon), then it’s understood in my mind that someone with the Holy Spirit in them would never teach that or behave that way. Ever.
There are some simple items to help people begin to understand whether to call someone a brother. Here are a few-
1. True believers will understand, confess, and defend the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. (See Corinthians 15:1-5.)
2. Actual Christians will discerningly spot counterfeit gospels and conclusively reject all of them. (See Galatians 1:6-9).
3. Believers, while not morally perfect until glorification, will care about holiness and will strive to live according to God’s commands. If pointed out to be teaching falsity or to be in sin, they will hasten to correct (See I Corinthians 6:9-11).
Remember, the Holy Spirit indwells a true believer. He will not allow decades of falsity to spew from the pastor’s or teacher’s mouth. He will not allow decades of behavioral abuse to continue. If an actual believer teaching something falls into sin, after a short while it will be resolved through repentance, or even in the case of the Corinthians they were disciplined with sickness or even death for abusing the Lord’s Table, or the Thyatirans who followed metaphorical Jezebel, Jesus threatened to kill them. The Spirit’s ministry is to point to Jesus, not allow falsity from one of His sheep to confuse the unwary and pollute the faith. We must see Jesus with clear eyes. Many, believe it or not, do not profess the true Jesus, but sadly, many do not know that the foundation of their faith is sand and not the Rock. (see Matthew 7:21-23).
How goes the Gospel in the world at the end of the twentieth century? There is no way of getting full or accurate statistics (though there are many useful attempts). One can only make educated guesses. Mine is that the vast majority—maybe 90 percent—of professing Christendom does not profess Christianity. Or rather, it does not understand the Christianity it professes.
Most of the people who profess Christ do not believe the essential doctrines that set one apart as a regenerated, saved Christian. I have seen this up close. A Southern Baptist Convention Sunday School Teacher/Director laughingly said to me once, “Oh, I just take most of the Old Testament with a grain of salt.”
Here is John MacArthur with an essay on “What kind of things do and do not prove the genuineness of saving faith?” Do not be caught by the conditions observed in a person that do not prove OR disprove genuine saving faith, such as: Visible Morality, Intellectual Knowledge, Religious Involvement, Active Ministry, Conviction of Sin, The Feeling of Assurance, A Time of Decision. Then MacArthur continues in showing Nine conditions that DO prove genuine saving faith. Here is the link.
Ever since the beginning of my walk with the Lord, I have been concerned with the notion of false professions, false Christians, and polluted faith. I work at not contributing to the problem by examining myself, confessing sin when necessary, and keeping my eyes on “This Same Jesus” who departed in Acts 1:11 and will return the same way.
I dread the day when Matthew 7:21-23 comes true, when many (hopefully not me!) will be unmasked as false believers and sent to hell. However, that will be one way that Jesus’ glory will be shown to be even more glorious than we ever could imagine. These things must be pondered.
I went through Zechariah. Pound for pound, there is more prophecy in Zechariah than any other book in the Bible, including Revelation. The book is at turns comforting, inspiring, and difficult to interpret. Overall, I’m fascinated!
In Zechariah 2, I became fascinated even further. Jerusalem, and by definition, Israel, is a hugely important topic for every Christian to seek understanding of and wisdom about. Israel is the fulcrum of history, God’s nation, the apple of His eye, and future home of Jesus the King. Christians will be living in New Jerusalem. Thus it is our focus as Christians to understand His plans for this city, as well.
When the LORD dwells in Jerusalem the name of the city shall be Jehovah-Shammah, meaning, “The Lord is there.” (Ezekiel 48:35). It never fails to move me to even think of the Lord being there, physically and eternally. Jeremiah 30 is a chapter describing the future restoration of Israel. See here verses 18-22,
“Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its ruins and the palace shall stand where it used to be. 19 Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small. 20 Their children shall be as they were of old, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all who oppress them. 21 Their prince shall be one of themselves; their ruler shall come out from their midst; I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me? declares the Lord. 22 And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
The Lord is there, Jehovah Shammah!
I decided to write a three part series on Jerusalem and Israel. The first part will be about Jerusalem geographically and its natural history. It is not a dry desert with swirling sands as most people think and as I once believed. Jerusalem and environs is a fascinating place, with lush animal and bird life, an interesting climate, and is the crux of three continents. It is the belly button of the world, depicted so on maps in former ages.
The second part will look at Jerusalem politically. I’ll look at what prophecy says about it during this time of the last days.
Last, will be the best part in the series of all. What of Jerusalem spiritually? What of the future glory of Israel? What does the Bible say Jerusalem will look like and what are God’s plans for it?
Stay tuned! This will be exciting look at our spiritual home, Jerusalem, the City of David, the Holy City, Jehovah Shammah!
The first human blood shed in the Bible was a shepherd’s blood, shed by one who rejected God in jealousy and anger.
Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. (Genesis 4:2b) And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. (Genesis 4:10)
The Death of Abel, by Gustave Dore
The last blood needed for sin’s atonement was the blood of Jesus, The Great Shepherd.
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:12-14)
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
Chris Powers, fullofeyes.com
Here is a song called The Last Blood. Listen to it entirely. It builds to a devastating climax.
Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. (Revelation 4:5)
In the Bible, God’s voice is often depicted as thunder, or, alternately, when thunder occurs, people believed it was God speaking. (Acts 9:7, John 12:29). We remember the people at Mt Sinai were scared out of their wits upon hearing the thunder and begged Moses to ask God not speak aloud again. (Exodus 20:19).
We recall Revelation 10:1-4 and the mystery of the Seven Thunders. We know they will be judgments, but we do not know what they are.
“And I saw another angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth. And he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars: and when he cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.“
Thunder, when it is not a God-controlled weather phenomenon, is shown in the Bible to be a representation of God’s power. Even adults startle when a particularly loud boom of thunder claps above us.
EPrata photo
The throne of God is surrounded by thunder. “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” (Revelation 4:5).
God spoke to Moses and the people heard thunder. “When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.” (Exodus 19:19).
When Jesus spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus, those who were with Paul heard thunder. God said to Job, “Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?” (Job 40:9).
The Bible shows us that sometimes when God spoke, it sounded like thunder. It’s a way of presenting God to us that uses terms our finite mind can understand.
But in these days, not every thunderclap is God speaking. Sometimes it is simply one of the forces of nature controlled by God.
Nowadays God speaks through His Son the Word, through His word. I think of the power of God’s voice at Mt Sinai thundering and the people quailed in fear; and yet Jesus, who IS the incarnate God, spoke with compassion and mercy to the people. He could have thundered! He spoke of His gentleness and lowliness instead.
He also in these days speaks to a believer’s conscience through the convicting work of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
But if I hear thunder, I would like to use that startled moment to acknowledge a merciful God and ask Him to awaken me to His tremendous power … He demonstrates His tremendous mercy by using only an infinitesimal amount of that power, otherwise we would surely surely die.
Yesterday I started a short series on the Language of God in Natural Disasters. I explored the questions of where is God when a tsunami happens? Does God send the hurricane, or is it merely the result of the proper meteorological elements coming together?
Today I want to start looking at some specific disasters that happened in the Bible, and today we’ll start with hail.
Two summers ago I looked long and hard for a reasonably priced, reasonably reliable used car. I finally found one with the help of a church buddy, and when I saw it I loved it. Lowish miles, good engine, clean interior. The only thing wrong was it had hail damage. The roof and hood was pockmarked with lots of tiny dents, and the side was scratched. Cosmetically the car wasn’t tip top, but I could live with it.
Living in a town, hail doesn’t bother me much. If I was a farmer, hail would bother me a lot. Hail can ruin crops. It can kill animals. Hail is a problem. Hail are ice particles that fall from the sky in various sizes. The meteorologists have a rating scale for when they talk about hail. Weathermen relate the size of the hail to food or familiar objects when discussing it. The following chart is from the National Weather Service:
Pea Size (1/4 inch) Mothball, peanut, USB Plug Penny Size Nickel Size Quarter Size Half Dollar Size Ping Pong Ball Size Golf Ball Size Lime or medium sized Hen Egg Tennis Ball Size Baseball Size Large Apple Softball Grapefruit (4 1/2 inches)
The NWS said if a hailstone is bigger than 4 1/2 inches, well-
4 1/2 Probably a record sized hailstone for Idaho or Oregon Freeze it, Measure it, Notify the NWS.
If you’re still alive that is. They consider anything from pea sized to nickel sized as non-severe. From quarter sized to lime sized, “At this size, a hailstone can fall from approximately 25-40 mph, which is enough to tear up crops, dent vehicles, crack windows, damage housing, and injure both humans and animals alike.“
Hail stones from tennis ball to grapefruit sized are considered high-end severe. Hail at that size can fall from upwards of 100 miles per hour. They can shatter windows, tear up the roof, or kill things outside.
How does God get our attention? Through many ways, and one of them is hail. God uses hail to demand attention, it is one of His signature calling cards. It behooves us to return to the Bible to see when and how He used hail to make His name known.
“Hailstorm Plague”. Page from Old Testament Bible manuscript, hand painted watercolor. N. Italian, c. 1650. Herbert Kraft Collection – MSS 0029. Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections. Source
The most famous case of hail was the one God promised to send to Egypt. God told Moses to visit Pharaoh and tell him-
Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19So now, send word, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die. (Exodus 9:18-19).
And it was so. Even the trees were shredded, all the crops smashed, and any living still outside died.
“Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields–both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.” (Exodus 9:25)
Initially awed by God’s power, Pharaoh acknowledged that he had sinned. However when the rain and hail stopped, He sinned again. God specifically used a massive hailstorm to indicate His power over the earth, and to know that the earth is the LORD’S. Pharaoh did not acknowledge God’s sovereignty.
God has storehouses of hail (Job 38:22). It’s a metaphor. I don’t think there are barns in heaven with iced-up hail waiting to be unleashed (by angels? With shovels?) No, lol. But the metaphor is picturesque, something we finite humans can understand.
God uses hail to warn the unrepentant to come back to Him. “‘I smote you and every work of your hands with blasting wind, mildew and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the LORD.” (Haggai 2:17).
He uses hail to render justice upon the wicked. “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.” (Isaiah 28:17). In one example, the LORD hurled hail down onto the Amorites at Azekah, as a vengeance against the wicked. (Joshua 10:11)
God plans to use hail again in the future: “The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.” (Revelation 16:18-21).
In today’s times we have weather forecasters alerting us to foul weather, and we can prepare. We board up the windows for a hurricane, put the cars in the garage for hail, and buy ice-melt for the coming blizzard. Imagine the shepherds in the fields, they did the best they could predicting the weather by looking at the signs in the sky (Matthew 16:3). But when severe hail began to fall, they had nowhere to run. Farmers mourned the loss of crops and animals. I’m sure that some might have died.
Terrible hail storms have always been and will be part of God’s language to an unrepentant and wicked people. But in today’s times we simply do not know that THIS hail storm was a judgment or THAT hailstorm was a warning or if it was just a collision of air masses. We do not have prophets explicitly telling us God’s mind and plans in these days but we do have the completed canon to look to for comfort over anxiety with coming bad weather or after a disaster.
Yahweh also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High gave forth His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. (Psalm 18:13)
When or if a severe hailstorm happens near you, what we can do in these modern days is look to the sky and acknowledge God’s sovereign hand over the weather and humankind, and praise Him for His involvement in the world. It may be hard to do if your car is crushed or your flock has been killed, but all things work together for good for those who love God.
We are at the end of our look at the life of Jesus through scripture. The first section of His life was seen through verses focused on prophecy, arrival, and early life.
The next section of verses looked at Him as the Son, second person of the Trinity.
We are coming toward the end of our look at the life of Jesus through scripture. The first section of His life was seen through verses focused on prophecy, arrival, and early life.
The next section of verses looked at Him as the Son, second person of the Trinity.
We proceeded into looking at Jesus as the Son’s preeminence, His works, and His ministry. Under ministry & works, I chose verses showing His attributes and aspects of being servant, teacher, shepherd, intercessor, and compassionate healer; and His attributes of omniscience, having all authority and power, and sinlessness.
Christmas advent. We are coming toward the end of our look at the life of Jesus through scripture. The first section of His life was seen through verses focused on prophecy, arrival, and early life.
The next section of verses looked at Him as the Son, second person of the Trinity.
First, about casting lots. Then about Zacharias and the lot that cast him into the Nativity scene.
Did you know that the practice of casting lots is called cleromancy? I didn’t. Wikipedia defines it-
Cleromancy is a form of sortition, casting of lots, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but are sometimes believed to reveal the will of God
Casting lots was a method used by the Jews of the Old Testament and by the Christian disciples prior to Pentecost to determine the will of God. Lots could be sticks with markings, stones with symbols, etc., which were thrown into a small area and then the result was interpreted. … There are many instances of casting lots in the Bible.
the-end-time.org 